If you spend a lot of time on social media, you might have seen an amazing Japanese dessert

called the Raindrop Cake. It kind of looks like your regular Jell-O dessert but it’s usually
round and translucent but more closely resembles a giant raindrop. As you watch the video
or read the recipe for this dessert, you come across this weird-sounding ingredient, agar-
agar. To the Japanese, however, this ingredient is called kanten. And according to some
sectors in Japan is quite different from agar-agar but more on that later on.

Origins of Kanten

It’s been said that kanten was discovered by accident in the 1600’s by a Kyoto innkeeper
named Minoya Tarozaemon. He made a lot of torokoten --- which is a clear, glass-like jelly
noodle dish that’s often served with a sauce --- for his guests that he had to throw out the
leftovers out on the snow. In this era, the torokoten was made with the tengusa seaweed and
was very labor-intensive. It was usually reserved for the rich because it took a lot of time
and effort to produce the main ingredients of the dish.

Much to his surprise the next day, the torokoten he threw out the night before froze into a
paper-like substance. Later on, he developed the process of harvesting and processing of this
ingredient, which in turn helped make this dish more accessible to more people.

The Kanten Industry

Kanten is generally made in Japan but there are other places that make this product. Agar
has always been a staple in dessert-making in many Asian countries so there is almost one
regional version of the product. For the purists, however, the center of the kanten industry
has always been in the Nagano Prefecture since the 1800s.

Agar or Kanten or Gelatin?

To the average Japanese, agar and kanten can mean the same thing. But if you’re to be more
technical about it, there is a difference between the two. Agar comes from a type of red
algae from the genus Grcacilaria while the kanten is made from a smaller genus of red
algae called Gelidiales. Of course, we can always say that since they’re both produced from
red algae, then we can just call them one or the other.

But there is a whole lot that differentiates kanten from your favorite Knox or Jell-O. Knox
and Jell-O are both made from animal by-products. It’s from the collagen that is found in
the skin and bones of animals. Gelatin is mainly produced by boiling down these these
animal parts to a gel.
To many foodies, the main difference between kanten and gelatin would be the texture of
the food they are made with. Gelatin generally has that creamy texture or mouth feel while
kanten is firmer or has a ‘bite’ much like how you would consider a piece of pasta al dente.

Some people prefer using kanten over gelatin because the former can retain its jelly-like
state or form better in warmer temperatures than gelatin. This would be very advantageous
if you’re thinking of bringing jelly desserts to a potluck.

Health Benefits of Kanten

Again, the main difference of kanten from gelatin is that the former is made of seaweed
while the latter from animal by-products. So for vegetarians and vegans, kanten is the only
way to go if they want to make desserts or food that requires some form of coagulant.

Being plant-based, the kanten inherently has fiber which is good for our digestive systems.
It helps absorb the oils and fats from the digestive system.

Forms of Kanten

Kanten is basically dried up, processed seaweed but it comes in many forms. The most
convenient form that you can buy in the market are the kanten flakes and kanten powder.
It’s the ground up version of the other forms such as the kanten stick and kanten thread.
There are also kanten blocks that are sold but it’s usually in Japan.

How to use kanten

Many people, especially vegans, dislike the idea of using animal products. So cooking with
kanten is a welcome idea because it's an alternative coagulating agent for desserts. It’s still
odorless and almost translucent so it can be added to desserts and even other types of savory
dishes. It can also be used as a topping or extender for salads and soups. It can even be
added in place of your usual noodles.

Aside from the Raindrop Cake, kanten is used in other forms of Japanese confectionary
collectively known as wagashi. The most popular of these are the Anmitsu (fruit bowl with
kanten cubes and syrup on the side), Mizu yokan (red bean jelly), or the popular coffee jelly.

The kanten, like gelatin, is prepared by dissolving the powder first in cold water before
letting it boil. It will set at room temperature, unlike the regular gelatin. There are also other
considerations that you must be mindful of:
1. Kanten sets at room temperature but may be unable to handle excessive amounts of liquid
versus the same amount of gelatin.

2. Avoid using cold liquid adding it to a mixture with kanten because it will solidify easily.
Make sure that the liquid is at least heated above normal room temperature before adding it.

3. When adding fruits with high acidity (like citrus), make sure that the mixture is already
almost at the setting point. The acid in the fruit acts like a thinner so adding it too early in
the mix will keep the mixture from setting like normal.

4. Do not add kanten or agar to boiling water because it will just clump together and won’t
dissolve.

Where can you find kanten?

You can usually find kanten in the Asian stores around your area. They usually stock these
in the powder form since it’s easier to keep fresh for longer. You may, however, find the
blocks or in Japanese markets once in a while. With more people becoming vegan, it's
possible that your nearest health food store will have it. You can even order them online
direct from Japan.

Storage

They are easy to store and keep. Most commercial kanten products have a shelf life of about
1 year. To some, it’s still safe to use even if beyond the expiration date. It just loses some of
that jelling power so you might need to add more to the recipe than the usual.

Sources:

https://www.notenoughcinnamon.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-agar/

http://www.megumikanten.com/what_is_kanten/use.html

http://www.megumikanten.com/what_is_kanten/made.html

https://www.justonecookbook.com/agar-agar-kanten/

https://food52.com/blog/10722-how-to-use-gelatin
https://savvytokyo.com/do-you-know-what-this-is/

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/06/17/food/traditional-jelly-noodles-cooling-well-
healthy/#.XUOJc-gzaUl

https://www.history.com/news/jiggle-it-the-history-of-gelatins-aspics-and-jellies

https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/rain-drop-cake-
%E6%B0%B4%E4%BF%A1%E7%8E%84%E9%A4%85/

http://justhungry.com/kanten-vs-agar-plus-tokoroten-japan-times-plus-sweet-version

https://loveisinmytummy.com/2016/05/all-you-need-to-know-about-agar-agar.html